Hymn for Haiti: a hopeful lament

The World Alliance of Reformed churches notified members, including The Presbyterian Church in Canada, about a hymn that had been written to lament Tuesday's disastrous earthquake. The massive quake killed thousands, leveling countless buildings including hospitals, and heavily damaged the already weakened infrastructure of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

The hymn is available as a .pdf file here and is written for the tune "St. Christopher" which also accompanies "Beneath the Cross of Jesus," The Presbyterian Church in Canada's Book of Praise, #238. It has been recommended for use in worship this Sunday.

For more information about our national church's response to the crisis, visit Presbyterian World Service & Development.

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Press Release from WARC - Church musician creates hymn for Haiti

An American church musician has written a hymn for the people of Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake which hit the Caribbean country earlier this week.

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), composed a hymn entitled “In Haiti, there is anguish” with lyrics to be sung to the music of the popular hymn “Beneath the Cross of Jesus”. (The Presbyterian Church in Canada's Book of Praise, #238).

The first verse of the hymn raises the question on the minds of many as they see news images of the impact of the quake.

“In Haiti, there is anguish that seems too much to bear;
A land so used to sorrow now knows even more despair.
From city streets, the cries of grief rise up to hills above;
In all the sorrow, pain and death, where are you, God of love?”

The general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, Setri Nyomi, today sent the hymn to all of the organization’s member churches with the suggestion it be sung at services this Sunday along with prayers for the people of Haiti.

In his message Nyomi says, “I am sure you too have been stunned by the news of the devastating earthquake in Haiti that we woke up to yesterday. Haiti has been through so much and our hearts bleed to see them go through yet another major crisis with such a heavy loss of life and so much destruction.”